Learned by Heart

After reading two excellent books by Emma Donoghue, I was excited to get into her newest novel, Learned by Heart. Set in the early 1800s, it shines a light on a small York boarding school for girls and the relationship that develops between two students over the course of one school year. Can this romance between two teen girls survive the time?

Special thanks to Little, Brown and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

In August 1805, Eliza Raine is a student at Manor House School, but she doesn’t have any close friends. Then a new girl arrives: Anne Lister is unconventional but highly intelligent. When she and Eliza become roommates, it isn’t long before they develop a close friendship. Soon, their feelings for each other grow and they dream of escaping to travel the world.

In 1815, Eliza is a patient at a mental asylum, writing letters to Lister. What happened between them all those years ago?

Review

Learned by Heart is only the third Emma Donoghue book I’ve read, and despite how different the three are, I love how singularly striking each is. This novel is divided between 1805 and 1815, focusing on Eliza Raine. She and her sister, both orphans, are the only half-Indian students in a boarding school in York. Eliza works hard to overcome others’ racist views of her, always on her best behavior, but feeling rather lonely. Her world changes when Anne Lister arrives at the school and becomes her roommate. Over the course of one school year, Eliza and Lister form a deep bond, but how does that change by 1815? While most of the book illustrates their time at the boarding school, brief interludes show Eliza ten years later, writing letters to Lister but receiving none in return. 

Lister is a sparkling character. She comes off the page with such energy and personality. Only 14, she already has so much confidence in herself and isn’t afraid to speak her mind or be her full unique self. She’s vivid, freewheeling, and fun—a bit chaotic and troublesome, but affable to all around her. By contrast, Eliza is timid and soft-spoken. She’s cautious and keeps her head down. Personally, I relate much more to Eliza’s personality, but I also love how Lister injects her with more levity. Their friendship is one of opposites, and yet they understand each other so well, too. Soon, Eliza and Lister’s friendship unfolds into their first romance. Some of my favorite passages in Learned by Heart discuss Lister’s views on her sexuality and androgynous nature. 

I love the whole setting of the boarding school, from their fellow classmates and teachers to the subjects they learn about. It took me back to my own high school days, albeit in the version of 200 years earlier. Despite the main characters being 14, this does not read as a YA book at all. Instead, it captures that youthful naiveté and energy, but with a more mature perspective grounding it. This is partially achieved by the interspersion of letters Eliza writes in 1815. The tone in those, in which she’s in a mental asylum, is so different from the tone during the longer sections focused on their school days. 

Throughout my reading of Learned by Heart, I loved the characters and overall narrative. It wasn’t until I’d finished the book and read the Author’s Note that I learned how much of this is based on real historical figures and events! Anne Lister is famous in her own right, known as the “first modern lesbian” and for her five-million-word diary. Eliza Raine was indeed her first lover from their school days, and Eliza did truly spend time in an asylum. The whole Author’s Note is absolutely worth reading, and I’m curious to learn more about both women. 

Final Thoughts

Learned by Heart is an absorbing novel, a quick read but also a story that will linger. Emma Donoghue is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She has an engrossing voice that carries through regardless of a story’s setting or themes. I already look forward to reading more from her soon, both from her back catalogue and whatever comes our way next.

Get the Book

You can buy Learned by Heart here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction
Setting	England
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley)
Original Publication Date	August 29, 2023

Official Summary

“A wrenching love story” (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder.Drawing on years of investigation and Anne Lister’s five-million-word secret journal, Learned by Heart is the long-buried love story of Eliza Raine, an orphan heiress banished from India to England at age six, and Anne Lister, a brilliant, troublesome tomboy, who meet at the Manor School for young ladies in York in 1805 when they are both fourteen.

Emotionally intense, psychologically compelling, and deeply researched, Learned by Heart is an extraordinary work of fiction by one of the world’s greatest storytellers. Full of passion and heartbreak, the tangled lives of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine form a love story for the ages.